Explore the past, present, and future of housing in America, as well as solutions to its most pressing problems In Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Solution to the Housing Crisis, renowned urbanists Charles L. Marohn Jr. and Daniel Herriges deliver an insightful and engaging discussion of the "wicked problem" of housing in the context of planning and public policy. The book identifies the tension that exists between the concepts of "housing as a financial product" and "housing as shelter" in American society. The authors convincingly argue that the root of our nation's housing woes is that the economy is designed to produce short-term growth at the expense of lasting wealth, and that a key piece of the answer to this problem must be incremental development at the local scale and neighborhood level. Readers will also find: Discussions of housing as an investment and how the country's neighborhoods are being transformed by the introduction of large amounts of investment Explorations of housing as shelter, including discussions of zoning policy and NIMBYism A comprehensive overview of the Strong Towns approach to solving the American housing crisisPerfect for anyone with an interest in home ownership - either on an individual level or on a larger, communal scale - Escaping the Housing Trap is a can't-miss resource for urban and regional planners, housing experts, social justice advocates and professionals, and everyone with a stake in the future of housing in America.